Rain
by Blackfire17
Summary: Kurama's having nightmares. A demon gang is on the loose. Can Kurama overcome his fears, or will the dark prophecy in his dreams come true?
1. Nightmare

_"Kurama! Look out!" Shouted Hiei. Kurama turned around to see giant claws reaching for his face. He dodged, and sent his whip across the masked man's back. Hiei pulled out his katana, and prepared to finish the job. But before he could, the same claws that went after Kurama went straight into his back. Kurama waited for the image to fade, waited for Hiei to appear behind the man and slit his throat, but it never happened. Kurama watched with fear as his best friend fell bleeding to the ground._

"Hiei!" Kurama's eyes flew open. As his eyes adjusted to the dark around him, Kurama realized that he was in his room. Breathing heavily, he flipped over and checked the clock. 1:15 a. m. He had had another nightmare. Well, not really another one. For the past three nights, Kurama had been having the same nightmare. It would pick up from where it last left off, making it seem like an odd horror movie. So far, the masked man had killed Yuske, Kuwabara, and now it seemed as if Hiei was next on his hit list. _Am I going insane?_ Kurama thought worriedly. He checked the clock again. 1:27. Not knowing what else to do, Kurama rolled over and fell into an uneasy sleep.

The next evening, Kurama was silently doing his homework when a soft tapping interrupted his thoughts. He sighed and opened the window. A soaking wet Hiei jumped in. Kurama chuckled.

"Hiei, what happened to you?" The fire demon shot him a look.

"It's raining, Fox." Hiei growled. Again, Kurama fought back a laugh. He hadn't notice the rain until now.

"So, Hiei, don't tell me you came all this way just to get out of the rain. What's the other reason you decided to drop by?"

"The toddler wants us in his office. He says it's an emergency, and he didn't want to risk sending that girl down here with a video." Hiei paused, and studied Kurama, "What's wrong with you, Fox? You look tired."

"It's nothing, really. But on the subject, are the others coming too?"

"Of course they are. That toddler seems to think that if he calls one of us over he needs to bring the whole group along as well."

"Well, then, there's no time to lose. Let's go." Hiei nodded and the two of them headed for Spirit World.

When they got there, Yuske and Kuwabara were standing around Koenma's desk.

"Hey, Kurama, what took ya so long?" Asked Yuske.

"Just finishing a little homework." Replied Kurama. Koenma sat down in his chair and rubbed his temples.

"Thank you for coming. As I told Hiei, the reason I have called you to my office instead of sending Botan is because there is a force at work that is so powerful it could destroy us with the bat of an eyelash." Koenma said, a grave look coming across his baby-ish face.

"Get on with it." Hiei said.

"There is an evil group of demons called the Black Saints has been discovered. They have been around for ages, but now they are making themselves noticed. The Black Saints have declared war on Spirit world."

"So what?" Asked Yuske, "Why are they so different from all the other demons we've destroyed?"

"Because the Black Saints have been around longer than I have." Kurama said. He himself knew about the Black Saints. They were infamously popular around Demon World. "And if they really have declared war on Spirit World, we could be in for the roughest mission of our lives." That answer seemed to satisfy Yuske.

"So, when does this whole thing start?" Asked Kuwabara.

"Right now. Go back to Human World, get some rest, and keep an eye out for any thing suspicious. The most I can do for you right now is to wish you good luck."

The rain was still pouring down when Kurama went back to Human World.

"Hiei, it doesn't look like this rain will be letting off any time soon. Care to stay at my house until things calm down a little?" (A/N: As suggestive as that sentence may have sounded to you, this story is NOT shonenai. If you are not happy with the content of this story, may I suggest you GET OUT OF HERE. I am not going to dance around trying to please those of you who think Hiei and Kurama are gay.)

"Whatever, Fox." Was the reply. Kurama stared up at the sky, silently hoping that his dream would not continue tonight.


	2. Discovery

_The look on Hiei's face was one of pure shock as he fell to the ground. He would have hit it, too, if the masked man hadn't grabbed him by the arm. Kurama sprang forward, slashing at the man with his whip, but he dodged, and Kurama tumbled to the ground, falling on Yuske's dead body. He immediately rolled of in disgust, and tried to attack again._

_"Let him go!" He roared. The masked man laughed mockingly._

_"You seem so determined. Fine, I'll let this poor beast go." The man flung Hiei across the cave, and he hit the ground with a muffled thump. Kurama ran towards the fire demon, but the masked man leapt in front of him._

_"Out of my way." Kurama growled. He was not going to lose Hiei, too._

_"It's pointless. Everyone in this cave shall die, you included. Why don't you just give in, and make my job easier?" Kurama flung his whip, but the man grabbed it, and pilled him to the ground. Then, he placed his foot over Kurama's chest. "Honestly, if you were going to fight, could you at least make it challenging? Killing you this way is such a bore." Kurama winced, preparing himself for the final blow._

"Kurama! Kurama, wake up!" A hard shaking snapped Kurama out of his dreams. He opened his eyes to find himself in his bed again with Hiei standing over him.

"What happened? Any news on the Black Saints?" Hiei shook his head.

"You were talking in your sleep." Kurama felt himself blush. Hiei studied the kitsune with his eyes.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit jumpy today."

"Nightmares, that's all."

"Hn. Stupid Fox, frightened by a dream." He paused and looked out the window. "This infernal rain hasn't let up in the least. If anything, it's coming down harder." Kurama nodded, and looked out the window as well.

"Yes, but like all rain, it'll eventually--" He stopped halfway in his sentence. The rain that had been pouring for the last day and a half, something seemed odd about it. He took a closer look, and discovered what the strange thing was. The rain was solid black.

"What are you looking at, Fox?" Hiei asked, before noticing the rain as well.

"Hiei, I think we need to get Yuske."

Everyone sat around in Yuske's living room. Kurama had just finished filling Kuwabara and Yuske in about the rain, and now an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Yuske decided to break the ice.

"So, what are we gonna do?" He asked.

"We need to find the source of the rain. I have a feeling that it's somehow connected to the Black Saints." Kurama said

"But how? It's not exactly like we can just look up 'Evil Rain Makers Inc.' in the telephone book."

"Yes, but there is one way. If Kuwabara can find a large amount of demonic energy, we could trace it. The Black Saints like to show off their powers."

"Well, then, step aside! It's time for Kuwabara to save the day once again!" Kuwabara stood up and closed his eyes. About three seconds later, they snapped open and he said, "There's a huge aura somewhere to the south! It's sinister feeling, too."

"Well, we have our trail. Let's go!" Yuske exclaimed. As they left the apartment, Kurama couldn't help feeling like they were walking head first into a trap.


	3. Surprise Visit

"I hate the rain." Hiei growled. Everyone was soaked to the skin, and extremely annoyed with the fact that Kuwabara's finding had earned them all several hours searching for nothing in the ice cold rain. Kurama silently laughed. Hiei had come down with a cold in the last half-hour, and his nose was as red as his eyes. Yuske was trying as hard as he could not to smash Kuwabara's face in, but Kurama could tell he was slowly losing the battle. 

"I'm sorry, guys." Kuwabara said, "I honestly felt a huge power coming from this direction." Hiei sneezed. "Stupid human. You were just trying to glorify yourself by sending us on this wild goose chase"  
"Hey, watch it, shorty! You're just jealous because you can't sense aura." Kurama was too tired to correct him, so he decided to let Hiei handle the situation.

"Why would a be jealous of a fool like you?" Hiei spat angrily. Kurama could tell that the fire demon was exhausted as well. "Look guys, if we're gonna fight, can we at least do it somewhere that's warm and dry? Why not go back to my house and bash each other's heads in?" Yuske asked irritably. "Because I wouldn't step inside that place again if all of Demon World was after me!" Hiei responded.  
"Well then, Hiei, that leaves you two choices." Kurama said. "You could head over to Kuwabara's…" Hiei shot a murderous glare at the kitsune. "…Or you could stay at my place again"  
"Hn." Was the only response Kurama got. "Well, Yuske, this is where we part our ways. I'll alert you if I find anything else out about the Black Saints." Kurama said "Same here." Kurama and Hiei turned and walked towards Kurama's place.

They were almost there when Kurama heard a twig snap behind him. He tensed, ready to attack the enemy if it dared move. Frantic shouts of "Get it of me! Get this thing off of me!" From Hiei made him spin around with his whip in his hand, only to find a small black kitten clinging to Hiei's cloak. Kurama sighed and gently lifted the cat off Hiei, and looked at it. The poor thing was soaking wet, and shivering up a storm.

"Hiei, we have to take this thing in with us." He said, softly stroking the kitten's soft fur.  
"You're not serious, are you?" Hiei asked. Kurama nodded.  
"As cold and wet as it is right now, I think the least we can do is offer a temporary home to it." Hiei rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement. The cat immediately jumped out of Kurama's arms and reattached itself to Hiei's cloak. Try as he might, Hiei could not get the cat off of him this time. So he sighed in annoyance, and let the cat ride on his shoulder. Kurama smiled, and the two demons continued their journey.

Kurama was exhausted when he finally laid his head down on his bed pillow. Without even thinking about the consequences, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

_Kurama fought as hard as he could, but he could not free himself from the masked man's grip. The man raised his deadly clawed hands, and went to slit Kurama's throat. Suddenly, there was a sound of metal clanging against stone. The masked man fell, and a shaky Hiei stood where he once was._

_"You didn't think I would go down that easy, did you Fox?" He asked weakly. Kurama sprang up, grabbed his jacket, and placed it over Hiei's wound. Hiei started coughing, until blood came up._

_"Oh, Hiei, don't die on me now." Kurama whispered as he helped his friend walk towards the cave entrance. "We need to go now if we're to have any chance at saving you."_

_"There's no chance at all." Came a horrifyingly familiar voice. Kurama was instantly knocked off his feet as the masked man grabbed Hiei by the neck. "Who are you?" Hiei managed to choke out.  
"Fine. I'll satisfy a dying man's desire." The man took off the mask to reveal--Yoko Kurama. "No." Kurama whispered.  
"You see, Suichi? This is how it's supposed to be. Everyone you know and care about dieing by my hands. This is what happens when you get attached." Yoko threw Hiei's unmoving body to the ground. Kurama flung himself at his other half, tears running down his face. But Yoko was too quick for him. Kurama's last vision was that of a giant tree heading straight for his face_.

"NO!" Kurama sat up in his bed. It had happened again. He looked down to see Hiei sleeping on the ground with the cat curled up and resting on his chest. Carefully stepping over his best friend, Kurama headed downstairs to get some thing to drink.

As he walked up the stairs, Kurama heard soft singing coming from his bedroom. He quietly opened his door to find a woman with pure black hair and pale skin with Hiei in her lap. He stayed still long enough to hear a bit of what she was singing.

_"The pain and sorrow I have _

_Seems to come like rain _

_And when the sun comes in _

_Gone with the pain!  
But the sun is only here for a moment _

_The rain will come again _

_And when that sorrow does arrive _

_I turn to you, my friend_." Kurama couldn't stand still any longer. He stepped into the room, startling the woman.

"Who are you?"


	4. Raven

"Who are you?" Kurama asked again. The woman slowly stood up, gently placing the sleeping Hiei on the ground.

"My name is Raven." She said solemnly, "I was sent by the Black Saints to find valuable information on the Spirit Detectives" Kurama blinked. This didn't make sense. If she was sent to spy on them, why hadn't she remained in disguise? He already knew she was the cat. Her hair was the exact same color as the cat's fur, and Raven had a cat like face about her.

"Why have you shown yourself?"

"Upon seeing how kind you were in comparison to the person who sent me after you, I decided to abandon the idea all together." Raven said.

"I don't believe you. Why don't you go back to where you came from? Even if you came from the Black Saints, you'd receive a much warmer welcome there than you would here."

"I doubt it."

"This is the last time I'll be friendly about it. Leave now, or I'll be forced to take on much more drastic measures!" Raven dropped down to the ground in front of Kurama and clasped her hands together.

"Please! You must believe me!" She screamed, "I want nothing more than to leave that accursed place! I have a sister there who couldn't leave if she wanted to! The whole _reason_ I volunteered is because I thought I could get help! I beg of you, don't send me back to that horrible home!" Kurama looked down and noticed that her hands were covered in scars that zigzagged from her knuckles all the way down to her wrists. He let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Please," He said quietly, "Stand up. If you want help that badly, I'm sure the rest of us would have no trouble helping you." Raven gave him a look of gratitude.

"Thank you."

"One question though," Kurama said, trying to lighten up the mood, "Why on Earth were you singing to Hiei?" Raven laughed.

"I'm sorry. He just looks so peaceful. I couldn't help it." She said, wiping her eyes, "I'm surprised he slept through all that, though."

"Yes, he can sleep through a lot. But I think it would be best if we woke him up now. I promised Yuske I would alert him if I found anything about the Black Saints." Raven moved towards him. "No, I'll do that. He may look peaceful now, but once he's active he'll rip you apart! He doesn't take to strangers kindly."

"The way you talk makes him sound like a pet. I'm sure I can do it myself."

"Suit yourself." Kurama stood back a ways, not whishing to be caught in the storm. Raven gently shook Hiei. The fire demon's eyes snapped open, and he leapt to his feet grabbing his katana.

"Who are you?" He hissed. Kurama ran over between them.

"Hiei, this is the cat."

"What? Fox, are you mentally ill?"

"No, Hiei, I'm fine. The cat is a shape shifter. This is her true form, and her name is Raven. She is our source of information on the Black Saints."

"Hn."

"But never mind that, we need to find Yuske."

When the three of them came back to Yuske's apartment, Kuwabara and said Yuske were sitting on the couch, half awake.

"Sorry about our early appearance, Yuske, but this is important. We have found a very valuable ally."

"Whatever." Yuske mumbled.

"My name is Raven. And you had better listen up, because the information I'm about to share with you might not be able to repeat itself."


	5. The Plan

"Like I said, listen up." Raven ordered as everyone gathered around her. "Okay, what on _Earth_ is that thing?" She asked, pointing to Kuwabara's cat.

"That is Ekichi. She is cat, as well." Kurama explained

"Why are you so jumpy around a cat? You were on of those creatures a few hours ago." Hiei said

"Just because I was a cat doesn't mean I liked it." Raven shot back, "Anyways, those things always creeped me out."

"Guys, can we get back to the point??" Yuske asked. "You didn't wake us up at 2:00 in the morning to talk about phobias."

"Oh, yes." Raven said, almost looking reluctant as she stood up, "Okay, I'll tell you what you need to know. The leader of the Black Saints is Orpheus. He is about as cruel and black hearted as they get."

"She obviously hasn't been with Hiei long." Kuwabara muttered. Hiei sent him a death glare.

"As I was saying, Orpheus has been the leader for 600 years. He really knows how to keep a crowd obedient. My sister, Talon, is his right hand. Years ago, we were kidnapped when the Black Saints were going through a rough time. Talon has an…unusual talent. She can bend people's minds to do her bidding. Orpheus saw this in her right away, and tricked her into thinking that the Black Saints were on the side of good. I on the other hand, can turn into any living or dead thing. Just a small sample of blood or hair, and I know everything about them. So I was recruited to the Gladiators, a smaller part of the Saints who's main job is to find information about the enemy and use it to Orpheus's advantage."

"Well that's all fine and dandy," Yuske said, "But we need to find out weaknesses! What can we do to take this Orpheus guy down?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. Orpheus's weakness is a want for power. If he can find anyone with a strong skill and a weak mind, he will take them in. Even if the person is acting." Raven said darkly.

"I see. But where can we find a person as stupid as that? Maybe Kuwabara can volunteer…" Hiei said.

"No, Hiei, maybe we need an intelligent person who can act the part." Said Kurama. He suddenly noticed that Raven was staring at the both of them.

"Maybe we need two." She said, smiling thoughtfully.

Hiei and Kurama stood at the entrance of the cave, bound in ropes. Raven had one end of it, and was leading them to the guarded doors.

"Remember," She whispered, "The objective is to get in, and stay there. Once you two are with Orpheus, I will go back to the others and tell them where the hideout is." They arrived at the door.

"What do you want, Unai?" The guard growled as he stopped Raven.

"I have captured prisoners on my mission. They have quite extraordinary talents that Master Orpheus could use. I thought he might like to see them before I executed them."

"Fine. You may enter." Raven bowed gracefully. Kurama was amazed. Raven was playing the part perfectly. _I guess 17 years of experience could have helped…_ Raven led them through a huge iron gate. Inside, there was a dark throne. Raven immediately dropped to her knees and forced Hiei and Kurama down as well.

"What is it you want, Raven?" A deep, booming voice asked.

"Prisoners, My Lord!" Raven called "Prisoners that can serve you in your quest for the ultimate good!"

"Very well, leave them here and return to your mission." Raven nodded, and left. Once again, Kurama felt himself recalling all the events in his dream. This cave was almost identical to the one he had visited so many times in his dreams. As Raven left, Kurama wondered if they would ever see daylight again.


	6. Leaf and Hawk

"Speak." Orpheus demanded, "Tell me your names."

"Hiei, you really need to watch yourself here." Kurama whispered, then he said out loud "Leaf Ruti!" Hiei "hn"ed and turned to face the throne.

"Hawk Danto." He muttered.

"You may stand, Leaf Ruti and Hawk Danto." Orpheus commanded. Hiei and Kurama did so, and then looked at each other. Raven had supplied them with fake names, because they had demanded it. Looking back on it, Kurama felt ridiculous that his name was Leaf. "What can you do?"

"Hawk is a master swordsman and a fire demon to boot." Kurama said, feeling sillier and sillier by the moment, "I can control plants."

"There may be some use for you after all." Orpheus said. "But why must you talk for Hawk? Surely he can speak for himself."

"Yes," Hiei said, "But sometimes Leaf can get out of hand when it comes to his mouth."

"I see. Well, given your abilities, I have already figured out your placing. Hawk, you shall stay here with Talon and I. We could use your skills on our level. Leaf, you will report to the Training Hall to be taught in the ways of the guard. Your plants could keep off intruders." Hiei turned to Kurama.

"How long before Raven can find the others?" He hissed.

"Two or three days. Make yourself comfortable."

"Talon, untie them." A girl popped out of the shadows. She looked exactly like Raven, Except her hair was a ashen grey, and her eyes were hazel. She released Hiei and Kurama of their bonds and took Hiei into the shadows.

"Leaf, when you step outside there will be a guard waiting to take you to the Hall. Now go!" Kurama exited through the doors. Almost immediately, a guard stood before him.

"My name is Jaguar. I will be your mentor. Now come." He dragged Kurama down the dark corridors and into a brilliantly lit hall. There were sounds of clanking everywhere.

"This," Jaguar said, "Is where your training shall begin."

A/N: Okay, you guys, I know this chapter was a short one, but the next chapter has so many things in it that if I tried to even put some of this in here the whole mood would be ruined and I would get flamed!


	7. The Begining of a Freindship

"So tell me, what is your name?" Jaguar said as he handed Kurama a large staff.

"Leaf."

"The name suits you. From what I hear, you can control plants?"

"Yes." Jaguar grabbed a staff as well.

"Now then. As a guard, you must know all basic forms of combat. Strike me!" Kurama flew at him with the staff. He hit, and Jaguar went sailing to the ground. "Not bad. But now that I know how hard you can hit, I'll have to hit even _harder_!" The staff shot up and met Kurama's nose. This time, it was his turn to hit the ground. Kurama sighed and rubbed his nose. He couldn't let anyone know the full extent of his abilities. He stood up, and wondered how Hiei was doing in the throne room.

The next hour was pretty much the same as the first one. Every time Kurama managed to knock Jaguar down, he flew back at him ten times stronger. By the end of the exercise, Kurama was covered in bruises and had only managed to give Jaguar a small welt across his right cheek.

"You did good work today, Leaf." Jaguar said, "Go to the healer's den and then see us at the Dining Hall."

"Healer's den?" Kurama asked.

"It's five yards down the hall, then a right. You can't miss it." Kurama shrugged, and then followed the directions. When he took a right, Kurama saw a large hole in the wall with a sign that said "Daba: Healer" on it. Kurama cautiously stepped inside. There was a bench made of stone protruding from the wall. Kurama sat down. A few moments later, Hiei stumbled into the room, holding his right arm.

"Hello, Hawk," Kurama said, incase Daba was nearby, "How goes the training?"

"As well as yours went, apparently. I couldn't get a hit on that baka!"

"Yeah, I know. Where's your katana?"

"Back in the throne room. _Master_ Orpheus said that it wasn't to leave the place." Suddenly, Kurama heard footsteps approaching the room. A few seconds later, an old lady put her head through the door.

"Are you two here to see Daba?" She asked. Hiei and Kurama nodded.

"Please hold on a moment." The old lady removed her head from the doorway. Then, she stepped through all the way, and grabbed Kurama by the arm. "Come on!" She said, " Daba doesn't have all day." They went into a dark room. The lady lit a candle.

"I'm guessing you're Daba?" Kurama said.

"Yes, this is Daba." Daba said. "Daba has to clean up boy. What is boy's name?"

"Leaf."

"Leaf and other hurt boy were chatty-chatting in other room. Does Leaf know boy?"

"Er, yes. The boy's name is Hawk." Daba put a bandage around Kurama's wrist.

"Daba sees. OK, Leaf all better. Leaf must get Hawk." Kurama paused for a moment to decipher the message. Then he nodded and went to grab Hiei.

"Remember, Hawk, three days and we're gone. As long as we don't blow our cover." Hiei "hn"ed and went in. Kurama left, and slammed head on into a boy.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to hit ya there." The boy said with a thick Irish accent.

"Yes, I'm sorry as well." Kurama said.

"Where're ya headin'?"

"The dining hall."

"Good, I'm a headin' there myself." The boy smiled. "My name's Trenton. What's yours?"

"Leaf."

-------------------

When Kurama and Trenton arrived at the dining hall, everyone was bustling about. Women were serving people and every one seemed to be having a good time. Kurama and Trenton sat down at a rather large table and began to eat. Five minutes later, Hiei sat down to join them.

"Who is that?" He asked.

"Trenton's my name." Trenton said, "What might be yours?"

"Hawk." There was an awkward silence.

"What do you do, Trenton?"

"Guard trainin'. Saw ya getten all bruised up, I did." Trenton said through a mouthful of meat. "I could show ya the ropes when it comes to Jaguar. Used to be my old mentor, he did."

"That's convenient. I suppose I could use a little help."

"Then it starts tomorrow."

"What does?"

"Our friendship."


	8. Training

"Ok, so basiclly all ya need to do is not be hittin on Jaguar so hard, ya don't." Trenton said as he and Kurama walked down the hall.  
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. But listen, Trenton, I want to know some thing"  
"Shoot, Leaf"  
"Has Talon ever, you know, used her power to control somebody"  
"Sure. Lots of times"  
"What happens to them"  
"People say that it's very painful. Not the kind of thing that you would want to happen to you in your life. It takes ya over. Brain goes to mush. Sometimes the person can't get back to where they were before"  
"How do you know this"  
"I experinced it meself." Trenton tapped his forehead. "I almost went insane. It was like I was her meat puppet, bowing and kissing Master Orpheus's feet"  
"Oh..." They were interupted by a tapping on Kurama's shoulder. Jaguar was behind him.  
"Ah, I see you've met your sparring partner." He tossed them both staffs.  
"Sparring...Partner?" Kurama asked.  
"Yes. From now on, you and Trenton will spar at least once a day. There was some...difficulties with Trenton's other mentor, so Master Orpheus and Lady Talon decided to let me train him for a while." Trenton nodded understandingly.  
"It's Ok." He whispered to Kurama, "Don't hold back. I won't pound ya too hard. 'Tis only the first day, it is." Kurama nodded, silently knowing that he must hold bac, or he would be discovered\  
"On my mark. Ready...set...GO!" Jaguar ordered as the two of them flew at each other. Kurama grunted, knowing that this would be a hard match without the aid of his plants.  
--------- 

"Faster, Hawk, move faster!" Talon commanded. Hiei flew to the ground, knocking against an oddly angeled rock. He stood, and wiped the blood from his lip. Then, he lunged at Talon."Good, but not near good enough to hit me!" Again, Hiei went sailing to the ground._ This is so stupid_, he thought, _If it had been any other opponent, they would have been incenerated! Why did we have to stay under cover?_ "Hawk, never give the enemy the oppertuinty to attack!" Talon shouted. Hiei jumped. He barely dodged Talon's blow, but slammed into a wall.  
"Oh, for the love of--"  
----------

Kurama spun to the ground. Trenton's attack had completly taken him off guard, _again.  
_"Oh, for the love of--"  
---------

The day's training ended with Hiei, Kurama, and Trenton getting patched up in Daba's den.  
"Three boys have been visiting Daba lots." The nurse muttered to herself.  
"How many more days?" Hiei asked again "Two." Was the reply. But two days passed buy, and there was no sign of Raven. Kurama would always check the Dining Hall, but the girl was nowhere to be found. _Did she lie?_ Kurama thought, Was this all just a ruse to get us to fall under the control of Orpheus? Kurama went to sleep that night wondering if they would ever see the dark-headed girl again.

(A/N): Ok, once again, this was a short chapter! Honestly, I don't know what is wrong with me! I'll try to make it longer next time, ok?


	9. Betrayal

The next morning, Kurama went to the dining hall to find Hiei and Trenton sitting at their table, silently munching on that same weird meat they've been eating ever since they got there. As soon as he sat down, Trenton's face brightened up.

"Hiya, Leaf! Hawk's been silent, he has. Didn't think that I would be able to talk this mornin'."

"Hn." Hiei said. Trenton looked at him.

"Yeah, he's been saying that, too." Only Kurama knew why Hiei was even moodier than usual today. It had been the tenth day since Raven had dropped them off at the cave. That, and yesterday's training had resulted in a nasty cut over his right eye that Daba hadn't been able to mend completely. Hiei sub-consciously rubbed his eye.

"Maybe he ate some bad…er, what is this anyway?" Kurama pointed at the meat.

"It's otter…don't ask me how they got that to be gray, though. Nasty, if you ask me, but I've got to keep my strength up!" Trenton said. Hiei and Kurama instantly pushed their plates to him.

"Not hungry." Hiei muttered. The doors burst open, and Talon stalked in. She climbed the stairs to the top of the cliff-stage-thing, and stared into the crowd.

"Ruti! Danto!" She called. Kurama and Hiei stood up. "Come with me." She ordered, her eyes gleaming with suspicious pleasure.

"Oh, no." Trenton said, looking worried. Kurama stared.

"What?" He dared to ask.

"There's only one reason Lady Talon climbs the cliff thing, and that reason is to make an example of traitors." Kurama's heart skipped a beat. "Although, she also uses it to commend excellent students… but don't get your hopes up, Leaf. It's usually the first one."

"Now!" Talon ordered. Hiei and Kurama slowly climbed the stone staircase. Talon pointed to a spot on the cliff thing.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Hiei hissed. Kurama shook his head, and felt a pit of terror slowly build in his stomach.

"There is one reason I am here today! And that reason is to congratulate Hawk and Leaf in their excellent performance. Master Orpheus himself is considering making them his own apprentices. Now, you two, come with me!" She barked. Kurama followed, with Hiei close behind. They went out of the dining hall and down a dark corridor, and kept going until Kurama saw the familiar room in which Orpheus dwelled. He felt himself shiver. The doors opened, and Talon led the two into the throne room. Once inside, she left them there and went to her place beside Orpheus.

"You two!" Orpheus rumbled, making the walls shake, "I have been expecting you! We have received information from the inside that there were traitors in our midst. The only ones we could think of were you, Hiei and Kurama!" The last words sent a stalactite crashing down from the ceiling and near the two demons.

"We have no use for traitors! The crime is punishable by death!" Talon screeched.

"But we are willing to spare your lives if you bow and pledge your loyalty to me." Orpheus said. Kurama already knew the answer, but Hiei was the one to vocalize it.

"We'd never bow to you, you sick tyrant." Hiei said, and spat in his direction. Talon's eyes took on a murderous gleam.

"You will bow anyways! Now,** bow**!" Kurama felt an unseen force press him to the ground. He looked over, and saw Hiei on the ground as well.

"This is bad." He said.

"Gee, you think?" Hiei retorted.

---------------

"Tell us where they are! Now!" Yusuke demanded. Raven shot them a sly smile.

"Why should I? They're probably dead by now." Yusuke prepared to shoot his Spirit Gun.

"Wait!" Kuwabara said, "I can feel their energy! It's near that old cave at the edge of town."

"Good going, Kuwabara! Now, let's go!" Yusuke called.

"Sorry, boys, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Raven said, and slowly started turning into a monster. Yusuke non-chantilly shot her in the head with the Spirit Gun. She spun to the ground and passed out.

"That was anti-climactic." Kuwabara observed, "I expected a huge battle!"

"Yeah, I know. Too bad, huh? But now we've got to save Hiei and Kurama!" The two boys took off.


	10. The Battle

Kurama tried as hard as he could, but he could not realese himself from Talon's grip. It seemed hopeless. But then, Kurama noticed that Hiei was able to move a little bit. "Hiei." he said, "Do you think you could stand up?" Hiei slowly nodded. Kurama saw Hiei's head slowly rise, and then his knees straightened out, and then Hiei was standing up in an awkward squatting position. "I told you I'd never bow, you tyrant." he said. Talon slammed her hand down. At once, Hiei was back on the ground.  
"Shall I kill him, Master?" she asked. The shadow that was Orpheus did not respond. But then, the shadow decended from the throne, revealing a man with long, white hair and blazing red eyes. 

"No, I shall do it myself." he hissed. "Release them." Talon obeyed, and Orpheus slowly put a mask to his face. Kurama couldn't think straight._ This is it,_ he thought, _This is my dream! Only...Yusuke and Kuwabara aren't here_. As if on que, Yusuke and Kuwabara burst in through the cave's entrance. "Hya, Kurama." Yusuke said, "Back up has arrived!" Kuwabara immeaditly rounded on Hiei.  
"What's wrong, Shorty? I thought you could handle this." Hiei folded his arms.  
"I don't know what's worse." he said, "Being killed by that tyrant over there, or living and having to put up with this crap"  
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Kuwabara yelled. Yusuke laughed.  
"It looks like they missed each other." he said. Kurama nodded nervoulsy._ This is not good,_ he thought,_ I've got to stop this from happening!_ Orpheus raised the first two fingers of his left hand. A yellow aura surged through him, and he fired. Lightning shot through his finger, and went straight twoards Hiei. Hiei dogded, and at the same time grabbed his katana. Orpheus fired again, this time aiming twoards Kuwabara, who was powering up his spirit sword. He narrowley dodged, and Hiei flew at Orpheus. Orpheus shot lightning, hitting Hiei squarley in his right arm. Yusuke fired a shot at Orpheus, and barley grazed across his mask. Kurama pulled out his whip, and sliced it across Orpheus's back. Orpheus responded with a sound kick in the chest. Yusuke shot his Spirit Gun again and again, but only a few landed on Orpheus. Orpheus was getting mad. He sent punches and kicks every where, and only a few of them missed. Every one was battered and bruised. Kurama looked at Hiei. His right arm was bleeding badly, but he was gathering power for his dragon.

"Hiei, are you all right?" Hiei nodded.  
"Distract him, Fox! Distract him, or we are all as good as dead!" Kurama nodded solomley. He turned, and saw Yusuke muttering something to Kuwabara. Apparently, he and Hiei were thinking the same thing. He and Kuwabara lept. If they could distract Orpheus long enough, Yusuke and Hiei might be able to launch a crippeling blow to Orpheus. Orpheus was hitting as hard as he could. Kurama was afraid that they wouldn't be able to hold out. But then, he saw two lights headed for them. Kurama grabbed Kuwabara and got out of the way, and then saw Hiei's dragon mix with Yusuke's Spirit Gun. And then, in a brilliant flash of black and blue, he saw it hit Orpheus. The thing took out the cave, along with Orpheus and Talon. Instantly, Kurama felt a pang of greif. Trenton had been incenerated, along with Jaguar. But it was forgotten as he saw Yusuke and Kuwabara dance aroun Hiei, who was as stiff as a post and had his arms folded. Kurama smiled. It was over


	11. The End

It was a bright sunny day as Kurama walked around the park. He hadn't felt so happy in days. The rain was gone, and people everywhere were talking and playing. All was as it should be. He met up with Yusuke and Kuwabara. 

"It certainly feels good to be at ease for a while." he observed.  
"Hn." said a voice from a tree, "Peace is for the weak." Hiei lept down. That cut that Talon had given him had faded into a scar over his eye.  
"For you, maybe." Kuwabara said, "I for one agree with Kurama. That rain was really creeping me out"  
"Why? Did you see your reflection in a puddle?" Kurama sighed as Hiei and Kuwabara went at it again. He looked up at the sun. It was going to be a good day today.

A/N: I have an idea for a sequel, but I'll only go through with it if people want me to. Let me know!


	12. Long time, no update!

so...who's ready for rain revamped? I've been working on my writing skills you know...so now's the time to tell me what I could improve on :3 Expect a rewritten version AND a sequel soon. So swears me 


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